Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Sneak Peek at Forever Fairies #3

  Also by Maddy Mara

  About the Authors

  Copyright

  All the fairies were fast asleep. All the fairies, that is, but one. Nova the Sprout Wing had just woken up. She was confused. Where am I?

  Nova sat up and looked around. Oh, that’s right. The bedroom branch in the Forever Tree!

  Until recently, Nova had been curled inside her flower, growing and growing. Her tulip had sung her songs and whispered stories, helping Nova learn the ways of the Magic Forest. Two days ago, on the first day of spring, Nova had sprouted! And so had three other fairies: Lulu, Coco, and Zali. The four new fairies were called Sprout Wings—and now they lived in the Forever Tree with all the other, bigger Forever Fairies.

  The fairies hadn’t known one another for long, but it already felt like they’d be friends for life. It’s because we sprouted on the same day, decided Nova. That makes us forever friends.

  Morning was just breaking, but Nova knew it would be a while before anyone else awoke. Even the glow bee on night-light duty had his eyes shut.

  She tried reading the book she’d borrowed from the library branch. But she couldn’t focus—her brain was whirring! She kept thinking about the fairy pods. There were the Flutterflies, the Shimmerbuds, the Twinklestars, and the Sparkleberries. Which pod would she be put in? And what about her friends? Nova knew it all depended on how they each did in the pod tryouts.

  Yesterday, Nova and the other Sprout Wings had finished their very first tryout. It was for the Flutterfly pod. They had all done well, but Lulu was definitely the best flyer. Next up was Shimmerbud! This was the pod that looked after the creatures of the Magic Forest.

  Nova couldn’t stay in bed a moment longer. She decided she would watch the sun rise while she waited for everyone else to wake up. Very quietly, she tiptoed across the smooth wooden floor and opened a window. The delicious smells of the Magic Forest filled her little nose. Nova stretched her wings and flew out the window into the cool air.

  All around, the forest was slowly coming to life. There were the low buzz of insects and the happy chirping of birds. Nova listened to their intricate songs. One bird in particular caught her attention. Its whistle was so happy, it made her want to dance! Nova pursed her lips and tried to copy the sound.

  Not quite right … She tried again, and this time she was much closer!

  Just then she heard someone else whistle. Looking about, Nova saw a creature sitting on a nearby branch. A troll! She had green hair tied into high bunches and dark-green freckles splashed across her green face. In fact, the only part of her that wasn’t green was the very tip of her nose, which was pink.

  The troll waved at Nova. “Early riser, huh? I’m the same. How can anyone lie in bed when there’s a whole forest waiting to be explored? You’re good at bird sounds. That’s a gleebird you just imitated. I’ve been trying for ages to copy it. I’m Lex, by the way.”

  “I’m Nova,” said Nova, fluttering over. “Mind if I join you?”

  Nova wasn’t normally chatty, but she was very excited to meet a troll. When she was growing in her flower, Nova had loved hearing stories about trolls. She knew they were a lot more mischievous than fairies, but they loved the Magic Forest just the same. Nova and the other Sprout Wings had already met a pair of trolls called Tex and Rox. But this troll was new and exciting and …

  “Achoo!”

  … unwell?

  “Wow! That was my biggest sneeze yet.” Lex pulled out a giant green hankie and blew her nose loudly. “As you can see, I have a cold. But don’t worry—I won’t sneeze on you. You’re one of the Sprout Wings, right? Do you know which pod you’re going to be in?”

  “Not yet,” said Nova. “We’re still doing tryouts.”

  Lex swung her legs back and forth. “If I were a fairy, I’d want to be in the pod that looks after the forest’s creatures. You know, the one that makes remedies and medicines for the sick and injured animals?”

  “That’s the Shimmerbud pod,” Nova said. “They wear the purple-and-green costumes. We’re doing their tryout next.”

  Nova was still learning about the different pods, but she had to agree with Lex: The Shimmerbuds sounded wonderful.

  “That’s the one.” Lex nodded. “They run the hospital burrow under the Forever Tree. We often take wounded creatures there if we can tell they need fairy medicine more than troll medicine.”

  “Trolls make medicine, too?” Nova asked.

  “Of course!” Lex sounded proud. “It’s not the same as fairy medicine because trolls don’t do magic like fairies do. But we use ancient troll knowledge, and our remedies are very powerful. I am on my way to pick tangfruits now, actually. Tangfruit juice is an important ingredient in our cold remedy.”

  Nova was about to ask Lex what else was in the troll remedy when she heard a tinkling bell.

  Lex laughed. “There’s always a bell ringing somewhere in the fairy world! What does that one mean?”

  “I think it’s the breakfast bell. I’d better get going.” Nova was reluctant to leave—she wanted to stay and chat with Lex. But Nova was not a very fast flyer, and she didn’t like being late.

  She spread her wings wide and rose into the air. “It was very nice meeting you, Lex!”

  The troll let out another explosive sneeze. This one was so loud it shook the leaves. Lex grinned at Nova. “Nice to meet you, too. I’d better go and pick that tangfruit before my next sneeze knocks over the Forever Tree!”

  The other fairies were just waking up when Nova flew back through the window.

  “There you are!” called Zali, the smallest of the four fairies. She was still in bed, yawning. “Where were you?”

  “I went to watch the sunrise,” Nova explained. “And I met a troll called Lex. She told me about troll medicine.”

  “You should have woken us!” cried Lulu, bouncing out of bed. “I love meeting trolls!”

  Lulu was always full of energy. Not only could she fly twice as fast as her friends, but she did somersaults and spins as she flew, just for the fun of it.

  “Should we go on a little adventure now?” Coco suggested, her eyes bright. She was always enthusiastic and quick with an idea.

  “No time for sky-larking!” buzzed the glow bee from above. “It’s breakfast time. And someone is coming.”

  There was a friendly knock on the door. Lulu cartwheeled across the room to open it. A fairy dressed in a purple top and leaf-green skirt stepped in. It was Vida, the Alpha Wing—or head fairy—of the Shimmerbud pod. Flowers were threaded through Vida’s wavy chestnut hair, and a shiny A was embroidered on her top.

  “Morning, Sprouties,” Vida said in her calm way. On her arm was a basket covered with a purple cloth. There was a delicious smell of blossoms and nectar.

  “Ooh, breakfast!” Zali said, jumping out of bed. “I’m starving!”

  “Me too.” Coco eyed the basket hungrily. “What are we having today?”

  “Floatmeal.” Vida set down the basket on the table. She whisked off the cloth to reveal a steaming bowl.

  “Floatmeal is very popular in our branch,” Vida explained. “But you’ll need to eat quickly. It has a habit of trying to escape. Look, there it goes now.”

  The creamy, sparkly mixture was slowly rising into the air. Expertly, Vida pushed the floatmeal back down with a wooden ladle and dished it into four smaller bowls.

  “Come and eat while it’s hot,” Vida said. “And before it sticks to the ceiling!”

  “So, what are we doing today?” Zali asked Vida as they ate.

  “You’ll be busy,” Vida said. “First, we must collect your Shimmerbud costumes. Then there’s a tour of the tree. You also have an important training session for the Shimmerbud tryout tomorrow.”

  Coco posed the question they were all dying to ask. “What do we have to do for the tryout?”

  “I can’t reveal much.” Vida’s eyes twinkled mysteriously. “But I can say you four will need to work together, gathering ingredients to make a special Shimmerbud remedy.”

  Nova loved the sound of finding ingredients to make a remedy with her friends!

  “You will need to work quickly,” Vida continued. “Shimmerbuds often have to do things at great speed, with many things happening all at once. So we always have a time limit for our tryouts.”

  Oh dear! This was not great news for Nova. She had only sprouted a few days ago, but it was already clear that speed was not something she was naturally good at.

  “But first up, let’s head to the costume branch,” Vida said. “Have you all finished?”

  “I have,” Coco said.

  “I finished ages ago,” Lulu said. “It was delicious!”

  “Um, Nova?” Zali giggled. “Your floatmeal is heading for the window.”

  Nova had been so busy thinking about the Shimmerbud tryout that she’d forgotten to keep an eye on her floatmeal. She jumped up and chased her breakfast, catching it with her spoon and managing to eat it before it escaped.

  “Now I’m finished!” she said.

  Vida pulled out her silver wand and made the breakfast mess vanish. The clean bowls r

eturned themselves to the basket, and all the stray lumps of floatmeal disappeared.

  The Sprout Wings had been given wands, but they didn’t know how to use them yet. Nova already liked holding hers—it thrummed with power and magic. She planned to keep her wand tucked into whatever she was wearing, like the bigger fairies did.

  “Okay, Sprouties,” Vida said, heading for the door. “We’re off. But first, remind me: What’s the rule about the stairs?”

  “No flying!” chorused the Sprout Wings as they followed Vida out of their branch.

  The curving inner walls of the tree were lined with more stairs than was possible to count. At least, Nova hadn’t managed it yet. But one day she would, she was sure of it!

  “What does the floor look like today?” Coco wondered out loud.

  The fairies peered down at the glittering floor far below. It was made up of hundreds of gleaming gemstones. The pattern changed constantly, depending on what was happening in the tree. Today it was all green swirls and glorious purple flowers.

  “Shimmerbud colors,” Zali observed.

  Vida nodded. “And the color of the costumes we’re about to collect. We’re almost there now!”

  Vida led the little group up the staircase. As the fairies climbed, the steps sounded musical notes, each one higher than the last. It made going up and down the tree’s stairs much more fun!

  Lulu, who never ran out of steam, was up front. Coco was behind her, chatting away and asking Vida questions. Even Zali, who was humming and looking around as she climbed, was faster than Nova.

  Nova sighed. Why am I always so slow?

  Finally, Vida stopped climbing and knocked at a purple door.

  “Come in!” called a cheerful voice.

  The costume branch was filled to the brim. Stacked to one side were bolts of shining, colorful fabric. Chests overflowing with buttons and ribbons lined the walls. And everywhere Nova looked were spools of thread, twitching at the ends like they couldn’t wait to be made into something wonderful.

  “This is as good as the craft branch! Maybe even better.” Zali’s eyes shone. “Look up there!”

  Hanging from the ceiling were all kinds of outfits in every imaginable style, size, and shape. The whole branch looked like an upside-down garden of beautiful blooms made from all kinds of fabrics.

  There was so much to take in that Nova jumped when she heard a voice call, “Hello, Sprout Wings!”

  The fairy wore a patchwork smock and had several large needles sticking out of her ponytail. A tape measure was draped around her neck.

  “This is Mave,” said Vida. “You met her when you first sprouted, remember? Mave is the Sparkleberry Alpha Wing.”

  Mave smiled. “It’s great to see you all again. And guess what? I’ve just finished your Shimmerbud costumes. Try them on!”

  Mave gave each of the Sprouties a shimmering pile of purple and green clothes.

  Nova pulled on her costume: a purple dress shaped like a blossom and a leaf-green sleeveless jacket. The dress was a little bit too big, but it quickly shrank to fit. Nova turned this way and that, admiring her new outfit. It felt so right!

  “And here are your hats. Catch!” Mave spun four leafy hats into the air.

  The Sprout Wings leapt up to grab them.

  “You’d be surprised how often they come in handy,” Vida said.

  “Are there different sizes?” Zali’s voice was muffled—because her tiny face was completely covered by her giant hat! Everyone burst out laughing. Zali rose into the air and began to fly around, arms outstretched theatrically.

  “Why is it so dark?” she joked. “Have the glow bees gone home? Where are you all?”

  Coco darted into the air. “I’m over here! Catch me if you can!”

  Zali spun around and headed in the direction of Coco’s voice, the huge hat still covering her eyes.

  Coco squealed and flew in the opposite direction.

  “Try and get me!” called Lulu, joining in the game.

  So Zali started chasing after Lulu instead. But Lulu was much too fast, easily zipping out of her way.

  “Nova, are you playing?” Zali asked.

  Nova glanced over at the Alpha Wings. Were they annoyed by the game? But Vida and Mave were laughing, so Nova flew into the air. “Over here!”

  In a flash, Zali turned and flew in her direction. But Nova was in a corner and had no chance of getting away. Just before Zali reached out to grab her, Nova made a special buzzing sound.

  Zali stopped midair. “Oops! Sorry!”

  Everyone laughed, and Zali pulled off her hat. She stared at Nova. “You sounded exactly like a glow bee! How did you do that?”

  “I don’t know,” Nova admitted.

  “Can you do any other sounds?” Lulu asked. “Like birds?”

  Nova remembered the birdsong she’d heard that morning. She thought for a moment, then began to whistle.

  “Wow! A perfect gleebird!” Mave clapped.

  There was a sudden pulsing light from Vida’s wand.

  Coco leaned over. “The flower symbol on your wand is flashing!”

  “The Shimmerbud symbol lighting up means a new patient has arrived in the hospital burrow,” Vida explained. “I’d better go.”

  “Can we come?” Nova asked.

  “Exactly what I was going to ask! Can we? Please?” Coco begged.

  Vida considered this. “Well … we do have your training down there soon. If you’re interested, then why not?”

  The Sprouties jumped up and down with excitement. They thanked Mave and dashed out of the costume branch after Vida.

  “Squirrel pox has been going around,” Vida said as they hurried down the stairs. The musical notes descended as they went. “And the song spiders often get sore throats this time of year. I just hope one of the skating bears hasn’t twisted an ankle again.”

  “You can fit a whole bear in your hospital?” Nova was amazed. “I didn’t realize the place was so big.”

  “Goodness no! We shrink the larger patients down to size,” Vida explained. “It’s important to reapply the shrinking spell every night. One evening we forgot to re‑shrink a rainbow sheep. The next morning, it was like a giant, woolly rainbow had moved in!”

  The more Vida told them about the hospital, the more Nova wanted to see it!

  “It’s underground, right?” Lulu asked. She was the only one who was comfortably keeping up with Vida. She wasn’t even out of breath!

  “Correct,” Vida said as they reached ground level.

  Vida moved to the center of the huge space. “Gather around, but don’t stand on that gold flower.”

  Nova, who was standing right where Vida pointed, hastily moved aside. Vida pulled out her wand and used it to draw the shape of a flower in the air.

  The golden petals on the floor unfolded, revealing a perfect circle. Light streamed up from the hole, along with the sound of distant voices. The air smelled like nectar and rich soil and lush leaves all crushed together. It was a powerful smell, yet somehow soothing.

  “What is this?” Coco was examining a pole in the middle of the circle.

  “That’s the slidey-pole,” Vida explained. “Grab hold of it, tuck in your wings, and slide!”

  Lulu went first. “Whee!” she yelled as she disappeared. Coco went next, followed by Zali.

  Nova’s heart thumped as she grabbed the pole.

  “Go on,” urged Vida. “It’s almost as fun as flying!”

  Nova whooshed down, laughing with the pleasure of it. Vida was right—what a way to travel!

  Nova landed next to her friends. What had been the floor now glittered above them like a stained glass ceiling.

  “Welcome to the hospital burrow,” said Vida, landing neatly beside them.

  Nova looked around. The large, brightly lit room was full of activity and life. Shimmerbud fairies flittered from bed to bed, tending to the patients. In one area, Nova saw squirrels with oddly spotted tails. In another were butterflies and dragonflies, many with bandaged wings or antennae. There were a couple of fairy patients, too, propped up on soft pillows.

  I want to know about them all! thought Nova. Does that squirrel’s tail hurt? How do you bandage a wing? It looked complicated.

  A familiar troll hurried over, something fluffy in her green arms.

  “Hi, Lex,” said Nova. “You look better already!” Lex’s nose was no longer pink.

 

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